Maryland/DC

On January 22, an energized crowd that included 1199 members braved the cold in Annapolis to kick off a campaign to raise the state minimum wage.Raise Maryland, a coalition of labor, faith and civil rights organizations, announced plans to introduce legislation that would:- Increase Maryland’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour by 2015,- Index the state’s minimum wage to inflation, and- Raise wages for tipped workers from 50 percent to 70 percent of the minimum wage.“Maryland workers deserve a fair wage,” said 1199 member Lisa Lucas-Alston. “Too many hardworking men and women are struggling to support their families. Raising the minimum wage would help thousands of them to build a more stable future.”According to the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, an increase in Maryland’s minimum wage will raise pay for more than 536,000 working Marylanders while injecting approximately $392 million into Maryland’s economy and creating an estimated 3,400 new jobs.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/md_dc_maryland_minimum_wage#sthash.gtPgxre4.dpuf